Caped wonders with super powers have been created throughout history during times when people were in dire need of "heroes". They could fly or do a Houdini from the arch-rival's snare. But, these heroes stay on the comic book (or the silver screen). Hence, we in the real world face challenges ourselves--sans super powers. Whether it's families breaking apart or declining literacy in the country, it is we who answer the call from where we are, with what we have.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

How you can help Typhoon Maring victims

The wet season in the Philippines is at this time of the year till around October or early November, and the past couple of days have been tough for hundreds of thousands of people in several parts of the country. Over a million have been affected by Typhoon Maring, says this news report. The evacuation centers in Marikina alone, one of the hardest hit areas, are taking care of over 25,000 people.

I've put together information on how you can help by way of relief goods or cash donations. This is a quickly put-together post so only a few initiatives are included -- those I've come across on Facebook or were mentioned by friends.

No amount of help is too small or too big! Any form of assistance counts!

Here is also something very important that you will want to consider when giving out relief supplies or when thinking of what items to donate --

INFANT FORMULA CAUSES MORE HARM THAN GOOD IN EMERGENCIESSafely feeding an infant with formula requires 1) access to a
constant supply of formula 2) access to clean water 3) access to
heating implements (proper preparation of formula requires heating of
water to a certain temperature) 4) ability to clean feeding implements.

As we know, evacuation centers are often crowded and have very
limited water supply. Any available water is likely to be contaminated.
Using this water to mix formula leads to diarrhea which in situations
like this, often leads to death.

When infant formula is included in every relief pack given out, it is
made available even to mothers who are successfully breastfeeding. Why is this a problem?
Mothers who are breastfeeding and displaced due to an emergency are
often made to believe that the ‘stress’ from the emergency affects their
ability to breastfeed; that their breast milk becomes insufficient and
inadequate. They then end up giving formula to their healthy breastfed
child. The truth is that breastfeeding is especially protective in
disaster situations. A mother’s breast milk will contain the same
amount of calories, with the right proportion of protein and fat,
regardless of the mother’s nutritional status. With breastfeeding there
is no need to provide water, so exposure to deadly bacteria and
contaminants is avoided.